Heating appliance



Nov. 8, 1932. A. B. MoDlNE 1,885,894

HEATING APPLIANCE Filed oct. 15, 1928 HHHHHHHHHH Patented Nov.. 8, l932 www@ ARTHUR B. MODINE, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO MODINE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN HEATING APPLIANCE Application ined october 15, 192s. serial No. 312,588.

My invention relates to heating appliances and more particularly to heating appliances especially adapted for house or small space heating.

Such appliances must necessarily be of sutlicient capacity to meet the requirements of the extremely cold periods which occur only at intervals and are generally of short duration. For example, a room that requires 100 square feet of radiation under conditions of unusually cold weather would prob ably-not require more than 50 square feet of radiation during at least nine tenths of the heating season. This additional or extra radiation surface which is unnecessary for the greater portion of the time adds to the cost of installation and of operation. It also tends to produce an unnecessarily high temperature in the room and to a waste of heat energy during normal winter months. Still another objection to the excessive amount of radiation is the additional space occupied by the radiator unit, by reason of which it can not be positioned in a nook or inconspicuous corner which otherwise it could occupy by reason of its small size or bulk.

My invention consists in accelerating the passage of air over or through the radiator unit. This is preferably accomplished by providing a motor operated fan in close proximity to the radiator whereby air to be heated is impinged rapidly against the heated surface of the radiator unit and whereby the radiation is correspondingly accelerated when the fan is in operation. The Jfan need be operated only during periods of extremely low temperature or when it is desired to quickly raise the temperature of a cool room it may be operated for a short time. By thus increasing the capacity of a given radiating surface I achieve one of the objects of the invention which is to intermittently increase the radiating capacity of a heating .unit above the predetermined normal capacity of the unit.

Another object of the invention is to di-` minish the time which is normally required by a heating unit to heat a room of a given size.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the space required to house a heating unit.

A still further object of the invention is to make it possible to position the heating unit in an inconspicuous place and in an out-ofthe-way location without diminishing or impairing its efliciency in heating a room.

Still another object is to provide an instrumentality adapted to control the capacity of a radiating unit. in accordance with variations in winter temperatures. This arrangement permits a radiator unit of relatively small volume to meet the heating requirements of a room and makes it feasible to position the unit in some inconspicuous or out-ofthe-way corner, and another object of the invention is to reduce the size and space necessarily occupied by a radiator unit.

Still another object is the provision of a heating appliance in which the initial cost of installation is low and the control of the radiation varies with the temperature.

It is usually desirable that radiator units be positioned adjacent the wall of the room and it is a common experience that the ceilings and walls above and adjacent the radiator soon become soiled and discolored, even when the radiator is contained in a cabinet and another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus which tends to drive or deflect or discharge the heated air horizontally across the room, thereby avoiding the objectionable localized staining and discoloration of the walls and the ceiling.

Many other objects and advantages'of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of partsherein shown and described,

and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts: v

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a cabinet in which a heating device comprising a preferred embodiment of my invention is housed;

Fig. 2 is a section along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectionalong the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of a cabinet which houses an alternative arrangement or embodiment of my invention wherein the .fan is placed beneath, rather than above, th

radiation unit.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 10 generally designates a cabinet which houses a radiator unit l1. The radiator unit 11 includes oppositely positioned header tanks 12 which are connected by a plurality of tubes 13. A plurality of transversely eX- tending plates or fins 14 provide separators for the tubes 13. Heating fluid is conveyed to the radiator unit l1 through a main or feed pipe 20. The heating fluid passes out of the radiator unit 11 through a vent pipe 21.

The pipes 20 and 21 are spaced apart sufficiently to provide room for a .motor 15 which actuates a fan 16. The fan 16 is pref erably positioned above the radiator unit 11 and isso shown in Fig. 1. The fan 16 is mounted upon a vertical shaft 22. The motor 15 is of the vertical type and the fan shaft 22 is directly connected thereto.

A grille 18 is provided in one of the walls of the cabinet 10 and is shown in the drawing as positioned at the top of the front wall of the cabinet. A damper 25 which is movable in a vertical plane provides means for opening and closing the grille 18. In Fig. 2, the damper 25 is shown in open position, 1t being manually movable from open to closed position and vice versa by a knob 19. A switch 23 is shown as so positioned and operable as to be thrown to start the operation of the motor l5 and the fan 16 only when the damper is in open position, the switch for this purpose being connected with the motor 15 by conductors. By partially closing the damper 25, the switch 23 is thereby thrown to stop the motor 15, and as a result the fan does not operate except when the damper is entirely open. v

In order that the heated air drawn through the radiator unit 11 may be discharged horizontally through the grille 18, I have provided in the upper part of the cabinet 10 an instrumentality taking the form of an arcuate deflection plate 17. The plate 17 is oonnected at its lowermost portion to the rear wall of the cabinet 10 and extends upwardly and outwardly to form a junction with the front wall of the cabinet along a line immediately above the grille 18. The plate 17 takes a. generally horizontal direction at its intersection with the front wall of the cabinet and it is obvious that the accelerated currents of heated air coming from the radiator unit are thereby deflected in a generally horizontal direction across the room. This arrangement providing for the discharge of the ,below the radiator unit 11. This lower position of the fan is desirable when the heating unit is equipped with a humidifying pan, as thereby the fan is not in contact with the damp air. The fan is equally as effective, in performing its main function of increasing the radiation capacity of the device, in either of the positions immediately below or above the unit.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a heating unit and a housing for the same and apparatus whereby the capacity of a radiator unit is substantially doubled to meet the peak requirements and that I have also provided a novel instrumentality for controlling the direction of flow of the heated air discharged from a cabinet.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the salne, without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself vto the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. A heating device comprisino' a casing and a radiator unit having a predetermined no1-mal capacity, means for normally circulating air through said casing at said capacity, a damper, and circulating means operable to increase said capacity, said circulating means being controlled by said damper.

2. A heating device comprising a casing and 'a radiator unit having a predetermined normal capacity, means for normally circulating air through said casing at said capacity, a damper, and circulating means operable to increase said capacity, said circulating means comprising a fan positioned to impinge air currents upon the surface of said unit, and means connecting said damper and fan for controlling the operation of said fan.

3. A heating device comprising a radiator unit having a predetermined normal capacity, and means operable to increase said capacity, a damper, a switch connected with the damper and said means, said means comprising a fan positioned to accelerate the movement of air through the unit and to direct the heated air vertically.

4. A heating device `comprising a radiator unit, a fan positioned to accelerate the movement of air vertically through the unit, and an instrumentality adapted to deflect said vertically moving air and to direct the same in a horizontal direction, means located in said last mentioned air path connected with said fan providing means for controlling the operation of said fan.

5. A heating device comprising a cabinet containing a radiator unit, a fan positioned to accelerate movement of air into contact with the unit, said cabinet having an outlet opening in 011e of its side walls, an instrumentality adapted to defiect the air through said opening in a horizontal direction, and means controlling the discharge of air from said cabinet, said means providing an element of means for controlling the operation of said fan.

6. A heating device comprised of a cabinet having an air inlet and discharge opening, a radiator unit located adjacent said inlet opening to provide an air shaft above the radiator unit, a motor fan located in said casing adjacent the radiator providing means for accelerating the advance of air through the radiator, air shaft and outlet opening, and means for controlling the discharge of heated air from said cabinet, said means providing means controlling the operation of the motor fan.

7. A heating device comprising a radiator unit, a fan positioned to accelerate the movement of air through the unit, a damper for controlling movement of air through said unit, said damper providing an element of means for controlling said fan and being movable a prescribed distance Without causing the actuation of said fan.

8. A heating device comprising a radiator unit, a fan positioned to accelerate the movement of air through said unit, a damper, a switch operable by said damper for controlling the operation of said fan and said damper being movable With respect to said switch without causing the operation of said switch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

ARTHUR B. MODINE. 

